of the future decided that Hebrew shall be the official language of the Congress. But the Zionist Organization cannot and should not do everything alone in this field. We have made small beginnings; we have founded some Hebrew newspapers with pains and great sacrifices, and assisted in the publication of Hebrew works. But our task must naturally be confined to giving stimulus and to affording our moral support as well as, in limited measure, our material support to all undertakings in this sphere. We are glad that the Histadruth, the Organization for the Hebrew language and culture, has now been created, and it can certainly be sure of the support of us all. We have hitherto devoted no special attention to women's work in Zionism. We have from the very start given our women complete and equal rights, but we have not prescribed sufficiently clearly nor insisted sufficiently earnestly upon the duties that must be bound up with these rights. We must now do this at last: we must point out to our women the road to successful Zionist activity, so that they may also fulfill their duties and be able to take part in the redemption of our people as our mothers did in the days of yore. But the most important task which you will have to solve this time is the formation of a new executive. I retire from the Executive because I must. I must do so both in the interest of the movement, and in the interest of my impaired health, which imposes upon me the necessity of rest, and does not permit me to remain any longer the principal servant of our organization. Honoured Congress! The history of our young movement can be divided into two periods. The first, the glorious period, with Herzl at the head, had its scene in Vienna. The attempt now being made to depreciate the importance of this great period and to maintain that, from the practical point of view it was unproductive, is nothing less than iniquitous. On the contrary, the greatest practical achievements were accomplished in this period: the Organization itself, the Congress, the Jewish Colonial Trust, the Anglo-Palestine Company, and the Jewish National Fund, all institutions that have become the pillars of our movement and the firm cement which has kept our Organization together, in the storm- iest times, and still keeps it together. These institutions were not yet firmly consolidat-
The Uganda dispute raged everywhere, and brought about the worst results that a young movement could suffer, schism and dissention. Soon afterwards the dreadful era of pogroms broke out in Russia, which paralyzed our Organization there, and entirely absorbed for a long time the energy not only of the administration, but also of our entire organization. Thus did misfortune follow upon misfortune, and it required several years before we could recover and collect ourselves. By applying the utmost energy, we at length succeeded in healing many losses, in developing the work begun in the first period, and also in the most important centres, in Palestine, ganization became firmer, the banks became more profitable, and the National Fund reached its present high position. Besides the branches of the Anglo-Palestine Company, we have also created the Anglo-Levantine Banking Co., in this period. We have established a good and reliable agency in the most important centres, in Palestine, and in the capital of the Turkish Empire, and we have trained an able staff of officials in all branches of our administrative service. The Co-operative Settlement Company and a number of other institutions have been partly founded by us and partly with our help, while others are still in the process of evolution. These are the practical achievements of the second, the Cologne period. The spirit of Zionism has not rested in this period, too: the beating of its wings sounds louder and more powerful now than ever before. With this Congress we enter upon the third epoch of Zionist history: we approach a new period. This begins, fortunately, under more favorable and happier circumstances than the previous one. May it also be attended by good fortune in the future, and may it succeed in leading us to our longed-for goal, to Zion.